ISTANBUL: Turkey’s Directorate General of Security under the interior ministry has issued a circular banning citizens from filming or recording police officers during demonstrations.
The circular, which was revealed by the Progressive Lawyers Association, came just before May 1 Labor and Solidarity Day celebrations across the country.
This year, due to the pandemic lockdown, only the leaders of some labor unions were allowed to hold memorials to mark the annual holiday, while workers were excluded.
More than 200 demonstrators were detained this year as they attempted to hold a May Day rally in defiance of the lockdown ban.
The circular was aimed at protecting security officials’ privacy.
Privacy violations sometimes led to images and voices of security personnel circulating online in such a way that their security and the safety of citizens is compromised, said the circular.
This prevents the fulfillment of their duties and leads to “popular misjudgments about the security department,” it added.
However, experts warn that the ban is unlawful and will threaten citizens’ rights by weakening police accountability and preventing evidence collection, especially in cases where police commit violence against demonstrators.
“There is no legal basis of such a circular. The constitution grants the right of privacy only to the individuals, and the public institutions and public officials are exempted from such protection,” Gokhan Ahi, a lawyer specializing in technology and IT laws, told Arab News.
“Therefore, this ban is considered baseless, because the acts of the police forces against demonstrators don’t involve their privacy. Otherwise, it would be unnecessary to put security cameras in police stations.
“The jurisprudence so far has noted that public officials cannot enjoy privacy clauses for the acts they commit in the public places. Each public officials should act legally when they are performing their duties, and anyone can register these acts,” Ahi said.
Registering such acts normally helps authorities identify unlawful behavior, and provide strong evidence and a de facto monitoring mechanism for judicial authorities, especially in cases of torture and mistreatment, Ahi added.
“The helmet numbers of the riot police were erased recently, while the authorities use an increased number of civilian police to intervene in social movements, which feeds the unaccountability for the mistreatment by police forces on duty,” he said.
Several journalists were prevented on Saturday from covering street demonstrations by recording the police crackdown on May 1 protesters, while photography equipment and smartphones were allegedly confiscated by police.
The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey said on Twitter that journalists filming the May Day demonstrations were being blocked by police.
Faik Oztrak, the spokesperson of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, warned that the move “could result in increased police brutality.”
He said: “Now, they will feel free to do whatever they want and bully people as they please.”
During the 2013 anti-government Gezi Park protests, where Turkish police suppressed protesters with tear gas and water cannons, 11 people died and more than 8,000 were injured.
Separately, Turkey’s Constitutional Court decided on April 29 that there was a violation of rights when the state denied permission for a trial of police officers involved in the injury of a protester during the Gezi Park protests.
Erdal Sarikaya lost sight in one eye during the protests when a tear gas canister fired by police hit his face, but he could not sue the government for his injury. Now, the trial against the police officers involved will begin eight years after the incident.
Turkey ban on protest filming unlawful and dangerous, lawyers warn
https://arab.news/8ewff
Turkey ban on protest filming unlawful and dangerous, lawyers warn
- This year, only the leaders of some labor unions were allowed to hold memorials to mark the annual holiday
- More than 200 demonstrators were detained this year as they attempted to hold a May Day rally in defiance of the lockdown ban
Iraqi lawmakers to elect president Tuesday, PM appointment next
- Parliamentary speaker Haibat Al-Halbussi announced on Sunday that the new parliament will convene on Tuesday to elect a president
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s parliament will meet on Tuesday to elect the country’s new president, who will then appoint a prime minister expected to be Nouri Al-Maliki after he was endorsed by the largest Shiite bloc.
By convention, a Shiite Muslim holds the post of prime minister, the parliament speaker is Sunni and the largely ceremonial presidency goes to a Kurd.
Parliamentary speaker Haibat Al-Halbussi announced on Sunday that the new parliament will convene on Tuesday to elect a president, according to the official INA press agency.
The president will then have 15 days to appoint a prime minister, who is usually nominated by the largest Shiite bloc formed through post-election alliances.
On Saturday, the Coordination Framework alliance — whose Shiiite factions have varying links to Iran — endorsed former prime minister and powerbroker Al-Maliki as the country’s next premier.
The alliance, to which Al-Maliki belongs, spoke of his “political and administrative experience and his record in running the state.”
Kurdish parties have yet to agree on a presidential candidate, who must be endorsed by other blocs and win a two-thirds majority in parliament.
The presidency is usually held by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). This year, the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) named its own candidate: Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
Although Maliki’s endorsement effectively guarantees him the post, forming a new government remains a daunting challenge that could drag on for months and still fail.
The designated premier has one month to form a government and present it to parliament for a vote of confidence.
The 75-year-old Maliki, a shrewd politician, is set to return to power at a time of seismic changes in the Middle East, as Tehran’s regional influence wanes and tensions with Washington rise.
Government formation in Iraq must balance internal political dynamics and power-sharing among major parties, all under the continued influence of Iraq’s two main allies: Iran and the United States.
A close Iran ally, Al-Maliki will be expected to address Washington’s longstanding demand that Baghdad dismantle Tehran-backed factions, many of which are designated terrorist groups by the US.
Last month, Iraqi officials and diplomats told AFP that Washington demanded the eventual government exclude Iran-backed armed groups, even though most of them hold seats in parliament, and have seen their political and financial clout increase.
But Iraq is struggling with weak economic growth and cannot risk punitive measures by the US, which has already sanctioned several Iraqi entities, accusing them of helping Tehran evade sanctions.
